Plug for organ-pipe feet



E. B. HEDGES.

PLUG FOR ORGAN PIPE FEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1919.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

mfiih inn WITNESS:

A TTORNE Y.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN B. HEDGES, 0F WESTFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB. TO SAMUEL PIERCEORGAN PIPE COMPANY, OFEREADING, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA-CHUSETTS.

PLUG FOR ORGAN-PIPE FEET.

"Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1920.

L7 '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN B. Hnnens, a citizen of the United Statesof'America, and a resident of \Vestfield, in the county of Hampden andState of Massachusetts, have inventedm new and usefulPlug for Organ PipeFeet, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in adjustable regulating devicesfor the .air which passes through the feet of organ pipes, and consistsof a metallic screw plug tapped into and through one side of such afoot,and provided with means for engaging therewith a wrench or other tool orimplement for the purpose of turning such plug in or out, all ashereinafter set forth.

This plug is intended more especially for the foot of a manual organpipe. 'The manual feet extendthrough the rack-board and stand on top ofthe wind-chest of the organ, said feet extendin some five inches belowthe top of said oard. Any airregulating device for these feet, ifadjustable, must be accessible above the aforesaid rack-board.Furthermore, the unoccupied space around saidfeet is'so limited thatnoconsiderable projection from the feet is practicable if possible,Wherefore the means for adjusting the plugsmust not occupyor requiremuch space. One object of my invention, therefore, is to provide plugsfor organ-pipe'feet, and especially for'the feet of manual pipes,'whichlugs'are'capable ofbeing and adapted to" e adjusted inthe spaceavailablefor such operation.

The pipes to which this invention ap-, pertains are. made of wood which,as a matter of course, swells and shrinks under different atmosphericconditions. And another object is to provide a plug which, not only canbe adjusted to advantage and with the greatest degree of accuracy, forthe purpose of permitting with exactitude'the correct volume of air topass through the foot that is equipped with such plug, but is not itselfappreciably afiected by atmospheric conditions, and is practicallyunaffected by any changes that the wood of said foot may undergo as theresult. of such conditions.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the followingdescription.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention by themeans illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 iswhat may be termed a front elevation of an organ-pipefoot which is equippedwitha practicalform of my plug; Fig; 2, a sideelevation of said foot and gate; Fig. 3, a central, vertical sectionthrough such foot and plug; Fig. 4, a front elevation of another andsmaller organpipe foot which is equipped with a slightly modified formof plug; Fig. 5, aside elevation' of said last-named foot and plug; Fig.6, a central, vertical section through the smaller foot, with its pluginelevation, and Fig. 7, a cross section through a smaller foot, theplug being left in elevation.

Similarreference numerals designate similar parts throughout the severalviews.

The feet of the pipes of an organ vary in size, like the pipes to whichthey are attached, and in the drawings I have shown a foot 1 of thelarger size, and a foot 11 of the smaller size. 'These feet areof woodand have passages 2 and 12, respectively, extendingthrough them fromendtO end. A shoulder 3 is-formed on the foot 1a short distance belowthe upper end thereof, and the foot 11 hasa similar shoulder 13. Itisthe parts of the 'feetabove theshoulders 3 and'13 which arereceived'inthe pipes of the organ, 'with said shoulders abutting thebottom ends ofsaid pipes. 1

Metallic plugs 4. and 1 1 are fitted to the feet 1 and 11, respectively,such plugs being located a little way'below the shoulders 3 and 13,and'projecting into the passages in said feet. The axes of theplugs -4-andl l are at right-angles to the axes ofthe feet 1 and 11,respectively.

'Theplug 4 is convex at its inner end, as represented at 5, and'the bodyof said plug is externally screw-threaded to engage an internallyscrew-threadedopening 6 in one side of the foot 1. Similarly the plug 14has a convex inner terminal 15, and its body is externallyscrew-threaded to engage an internally screw-threaded opening 16 in oneside of the foot 11.

Each foot, 1 or 11, is annular in cross section, and each plug a or 14,is cylindrical in cross section, the former having the shape of a hollowcylinder, as will presently more fully appear. The diameters of theplugs are less than the diameters of the passages into which said plugsextend, as is clearly shown in the case of the plug 1 1 and the passage12 in Fig. 7, it being understood that the same thing is true of theplug 1 and the passage 2.

It is now clear that either passage 2 or 12 may be choked to a greateror less extent by screwing in or out the plug which projects into suchpassage. But the plugs can never completely close the passages intowhich they extend, even though they should be screwed in far enough tocontact with the walls opposite to the openings 6 and 16, owing to thefact that the diameters of said plugs are less than the diameters ofsaid passages. The convex ends 5 and 15 permit the plugs to be advancedfarther than would be the case if the inner ends of said plugs wereflat, inasmuch as said convex ends conform more or less closely to theconcavities of the adjacent portions of the walls of the passages,consequently a greater range of adjustment is made possible. The volumesof air that pass through the feet 1 and 11 are, of course, increased ordecreased accordingly as the plugs 4L and 1a are adjusted to positionthem farther out or farther in, as will be plainly seen. In practice,each plug must be set to permit of the passage through its foot of therequired amount of air, being adjusted from time to time as may benecessary in order to obtain the best results.

The plugs 4L and 14 must not project too far outside of the feet 1 and11, for the reason previously given, wherefore it is necessary toprovide means whereby they may be rotated for adjustment, with the aidof a wrench or other suitable implement that can be introduced into thelimited space available. To this end, therefore, the larger plug has aninterior, integral cross-piece or web 7 and the smaller plug has anexterior, integral nut 17 p The plug is made hollow, a chamber 8 thusbeing provided which opens at the outer end of said plug. The web 7 isat the inner end of the chamber 8 and extends transversely across saidchamber. The plug 4 is adjusted by introducing into the chamber 8 thejaws or equivalent members or member of a wrench or other implement andengaging the web 7 therewith, and by this means turning said plug in orout, accordingly as to whether it be desired to decrease or increase thevolume of air which passes through the foot 1, and to whatever extent itmay be necessary in order properly to implement which is adapted toengage said nut, in a similar manner to that in which the plug at isadjusted.

The plugs being of metal do not shrink or swell, and being tapped intothe feet have sufficient frictional engagement therewith to prevent themfrom becoming too loose and working out of place. Obviously the plugscan be adjusted with a great degree of accuracy, and without fear thatthey will get out of adjustment.

I am aware that wood plugs have been provided to fit plain holes inorgan-pipe feet, which plugs have exterior handles of sufficient lengthto be grasped in the hand for adjustment purposes, and do not seek toclaim such a plug. This old type of plug is not only defective becauseit is made of Wood and has no screw-threaded engagement with the foot,but is not available for the feet of manual organ-pipe feet, owing tothe presence of the handle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination, with a wooden organ-pipe foot, of a metallic plugtapped into and through. one side of said foot, said plug having aconvex inner end to cooperate with the inner surface of said foot, andbeing provided with means which is accessible at the outer end for theengagement therewith of an adjusting implement.

2. The combination, with a wooden organ-pipe foot, of a metallic plugtapped into and through one side of said foot, said plug having meansaccessible at the outer end for the application thereto of an adjustingimplement,- and being of less diameter than the passage which itintersects.

EDWIN B. HEDGES.

Witnesses I C. D. MONROE, F. A. CUTTER.

